2011 Washington State American History Teacher of the Year

Karen Morley-Smith
Sunset Elementary School
Evergreen School District
California State University, Bachelor of Arts (English), 1984
Concordia University, Master of Arts (Teaching), 2006

Karen Morley-Smith teaches fifth grade at Sunset Elementary in Vancouver, a position she has held since 2007. Although relatively new to the classroom, she has already distinguished herself as a leader and an innovator.

During her first year at Sunset, Karen utilized the National Endowment for the Humanities’ We the People curriculum to coordinate a mock congressional hearing for all the fifth graders in her school. Since then she has become a We the People trainer and works with OSPI’s Social Studies Cadre of Trainers. Karen is also a voracious researcher, and in 2008 she attended the Colonial Williamsburg Teacher Institute. She has translated her own hands-on experiences and continued study into a guide for using civics to teach literacy that is now shared across her district.

What sets Karen apart is her ability to successfully integrate history into other subjects. She sees the focus on high-stakes subjects like reading, writing, math and science as an opportunity to show her students how those subjects have played a pivotal role in our history. In Karen’s classroom source texts are used to hone literacy skills, students learn the concept of symmetry and its application through a study of colonial architecture and the grade-level standards for earth and space are explored through the geographic history of the North American continent.

Moreover, her use of role playing and storytelling brings history to life in a personal way for Karen’s students. Every year her students explore actual historical events through the eyes of those who have lived through it. With the guidance of Karen’s character, school teacher Elizabeth Perkins, her students immerse themselves in history by researching and creating a colonial character of their own as they travel through the events of the American Revolution.

“It’s clear that Karen’s students are excited about history,” said Kelly Martin, program supervisor for social studies and international education at the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. “Their work is thoughtful and detailed and shows just how much focused attention Karen puts into planning and executing lessons. Additionally, one of her students was selected for the state’s Daniel J. Evans Civic Education Award this year which speaks volumes about the level of engagement in her classroom.”